Tuesday, February 5, 2013

It is my pleasure to introduce this as the second of three articles designed to give breath to "Voices After the Sale." All
too often we hear much about a property as it is vacant, on the market,
yet what happens to the voices of the property after the owners/tenants move
in?

This Shaw Living Series, "Voices After the Sale," teams up with Suzane Reatig Architecture,
who offered to provide three different voices describing the feeling of
living in Shaw--and living in a Reatig property.

The second interview speaks with Nooni Reatig (one of the architects/designers for the property), Rex and David (the tenants), and Kevin(the REALTOR®),
detailing their experiences of what it's like to live inside the 2 Bedroom 2 Full Bath at 625 Rhode Island Ave. NW.

All pictures courtesy of Nooni Reatig, Reatig Architecture

Kevin: Well, how did your search as tenants start?Rex:We had heard about 625 Rhode Island Ave.And you know how D.C. works…everyone knows
someone who knows the person you eventually need to know.So we had met Nooni before through friends of
friends…

Kevin:And you were expressing interest in finding a
place to live, so Nooni showed you 625 Rhode Island Ave?

Rex:That’s correct.And for the record, we had been looking for
properties for months and were consistently disappointed.Then, the first property we walked into
inside 625 Rhode Island Ave. David and I just knew…

Kevin:Knew what exactly?

Rex:That this was going to be our next
apartment.So I sent a video to my
parents letting them see the place…

David, Nooni, and Rex

Nooni: …which is
when you know it’s serious!...

Rex: (laughs)
yeah I guess I still do that out of habit…and my rents said it looked great,
they told me “good luck paying for it,” and we signed the lease.

David: Yeah, I
just want to throw in here that we were living in a much smaller apartment
before, so simply walking into this space felt motivating.

Rex:This space is 1) so much larger than the
majority of 2 bedroom apartments, and 2) the layout is very, very
intelligent…not a word I usually use to describe apartment designs.

David:For example this unit has seven closets.Seven.And two balconies!And look right
there (David points out the window at a plane taking off)…

Kevin: The plane?

David:(laughs), yes, I enjoy watching these planes
take off from National Airport.They
remind me of the joys of traveling.

Nooni:What David is also saying is that he enjoys
the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Kevin: (laughs)
Well then, on the issue of transportation, do you have a car?

David:We do.There are 10 spots reserved for the building, and street parking in the
area is not too busy yet—though it will be more difficult in two years’ time,
especially once O St. Market goes up…

Rex:So even when O Street does go up, we won’t
have a problem finding parking since the building has parking!—a luxury.

Kevin:What are some of the features you cherish
most about this space?

Rex:The balance of public living space to bedroom
space.Some apartment layouts will give
a lot of space to the bedrooms and sacrifice the living space.This Reatig design allows the living space to
truly breathe:the floor-to-ceiling
windows, the light and having the private outdoor space.On the side of the building there is a large
garden area…

Nooni:…which is basically the way we wanted to
offer a miniature “dog park” to the residents, as well as a garden area to sit.

David: It’s nice
being able to walk outside to the balcony and gauge the temperature.One thing Rex didn’t mention is the
kitchen.The kitchen is great.We do a lot of entertaining.Rex cooks, I clean, and there is the huge kitchen
counter area and then the island-top for us to have enough room to both be
working at the same time.Also, this
space has two bathrooms which makes all the difference in the world.It’s very roommate friendly.

Rex:The appliances are great, and the tankless
water heater is a luxury.

David:Possibly most important for me professionally
is the elevator.I work with disability
rights, so all my friends in wheelchairs can come and visit me now.There is a wheelchair accessible ramp out
front, too.Love it.

Kevin:Nooni, can you add to what Rex and David have
explained, and elaborate further on what the Reatig team really focused on as
some of the selling points in this property?

Nooni:Simplicity, space, and bringing the outdoors
inside.Big open spaces.We’ll give more space to the rooms you use
90% of the time—usually the living spaces—so the emphasis is put on shared
spaces, laying them out in an open way so the residents feel a connection to
all parts of the property without one feature overwhelming another.Also, the open floorplan allows for
rearranging the space however you like.

Rex:I’m an interior designer so I am always fiddling around with the interior of this
place.Like Nooni says, it’s very easy
to rearrange—fun too.

Kevin:Nooni, how many units in this building?

Nooni:16.There is one 1 BD.The majority
are 2 BD and 2 BD w/dens, and there are a few 3 BD.

Rex:This brings up a great point.This space was advertised as a 2 BD-2FB with
a den even though the den has a window and a closet.Any other complex would have called this a
three bedroom.This really makes me
appreciate Reatig Architecture because we didn’t have to compromise to the
advertising.It really is what it says
it is.That’s good business.No false advertising.

Nooni:To speak to that, one of our design
philosophies is:we only design spaces
that we would live in ourselves.I think
that vision defines the quality of life of our spaces.That is why we always have cross ventilation,
multiple exposures, and lots of light and air.These are things that should be basic, but aren’t necessarily always
given.

Kevin:And how do you all work inside your
office…what’s the process like as you put something like 625 Rhode Island Ave.
together?

Nooni:Our office is very collaborative.Many different people contribute to the design
of one project. We all share the design philosophy of creating open, simple
spaces that improve quality of life.It’s a great atmosphere.

Kevin:So, Rex and David, without using the word
“home,” how would you describe what this places feels like to you?

Rex:(laughs) Well, if I can’t use the word
“home,” hmm….it feels like I’m really on my way to becoming an adult?Maybe like, a proud rite of passage?

David:I like the word “settled.”

Rex:It’s a different feel for us—it’s our first
place, we are both on the lease…